Help , I have a 99 c-5 6 speed.......the clutch engages greatttttt...and disengages greatttttttttt when im not getting on it.....but as soon as i get on it and drag the gears out the clutch pedal returns with no pressure to push it back in....eventually, it comes back but, it takes about 15 seconds to push it back in with hydraulic pressure to switch gears.........any clues.....all the shops want to tear it apart and charge crazy $$$$$$$$$ to do it....hopefully its a easy fix......it has 38k miles on in and is a hard top z06 look a like.....no hop ups........

The bleeder valve is a bitch to get to. Using Ranger's method, I simply removed the old fluid with a syringe(1), wiped out all the sediment(2), and refilled(3).
I pumped the pedal about 30x's and repeated the process until fluid was pretty clear(4).Click pics for larger

I had the same problem in my 03 Z06. I checked the clutch fluid and it was so black. I just removed the old fluid and put a new GM hydrolic clutch fluid, i did it for 4 times and my clutch pedal is working good now . Thanks to ranger for posting the proces of changing the clutch fluid on this site.

So how long should your clutch fluid typically last? I had to get my master cylinder replaced at 1200 miles due to component failure between the pedal and master cylinder. I checked the clutch fluid, and it was really dark... more discoloration than I would have expected…. I asked the Mechanic about it, and he seemed to think it was not a problem... Anyways, like I said 1200 miles, 2.5 months old and driven pretty moderately for at least half that time during break-in. I am just curious how often you guys are changing yours

I'm at around 58,000 miles right now and changed it. She will let you know you need to change it when the pedal slacks out a bit after a HIGH rev.
Only takes about 10-15 minutes to do. I should of done mine 5000 or so miles ago.
I don't use my horn as much as I do the clutch pedal then full rev. So it was clear to me it was time to change.

"Been there, done that, just have a hard time remembering the details."

I have no idea. Ranger , I believe, checks his every time he fills the gas tank. I started noticing a "dead" spot in the feel of the clutch. I felt very little resistance for the first 1-1.5 inches of travel. Most people have the pedal stick to the floor. I first noticed it around 35K mi and decided to change it at 40K.
The "firm feel" came back immediately and currently feels great at 51K.

My clutch wasn't acting up but after reading the article I checked the resivour and sure enough the fluid was black as hell. The procedure was easy and once again I am in debt to the dc family for the great advice.

Bleed and the entire system
Refill with GM P/N 88958860 or
Motul RBF600 fluid
Then add a Bleeder line.
The ranger method is more of a maintenance procedure
or temp fix.
everytime you do it you are adding air and moisture from outside the system and risk introducing water into your clutch line. not good for the slave so bleed and refill.
SEE LINK http://97vette.com/howto/clutchbleed/index.html
At your service and **No Charge this time***

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